“Payment? We don’t really have anything to pay with… Ah! How about thebat rations you gave us earlier?”


    That prompted a slight chuckle from me.


    “Haha… Are you joking?”


    “Well then, how about people? Our people are all quite good-looking, whether male or female. If you need them…”


    Tsk.


    “I don’t think I have anything more to say.”


    “Wait, hold on! Don’t say that let’s just talk it out…”


    “No, it’s fine.”


    Ignoring the people trying to stop us, my squad and I headed down the building towards the ground level. “Even if you’re going to leave, why go down there?”


    Someone among the building’s upants asked.


    “We have a cloud bridge we set up, so you can use that.”


    “Yeah, there’s no need to go down to the ground dangerously, right?”


    Seems they’ve realized they can’t really hold us back.


    They just want to part on a better note.


    But,


    “I appreciate the consideration, but it’s fine.”


    “If it’s about that toll thing earlier, forget it.”


    “No, I’m really saying this is okay.”


    As we reached the first floor, we could see thebat vehicles submerged in the water.


    “We can’t move those vehicles across the cloud bridge, can we?”


    “Well, that does seem unlikely.”


    “Most importantly, we have a separate reason for entering this dungeon.”


    Using the cloud bridge would be more convenient but our reasons for entering the dungeon were twofold:


    One was that we couldn’t refuse the rescue request.


    The second was…


    [Experience points acquired]


    [Experience points acquired]


    [Someone who has enjoyed your meal has excelled in battle]


    [The Chef’s reputation is spreading far and wide] I


    [Increase in experience points]


    “Keep attacking and move forward!”


    “Yes!!!”


    It was for the sake of our growth.


    The meals we had eaten.


    We need to reap the benefits before the effects wear off.


    However,


    “Ahem.”


    “Hmm…”


    There were a few who couldn’t participate in the battle.


    The mages.


    Especially those wielding fire and electricity.


    ‘In the previous dungeon, the fire mages were raking in the honey.’


    Perhaps the properties of the air were different in the subway dungeon, as the fire mages’ firepower had increased.


    They were the second most crucial members for clearing the dungeon, with the highest-leveled soldier among the fire mages.


    But this time,


    “Normally, wouldn’t the fish die if the water temperature rises?”


    “But these aren’t just regr fish.”


    The battle took ce underwater.


    Even though my cooking gave them the [Environmental Adaptation] trait,


    the fire they shot at the underwater monsters would inevitably weaken.


    On the other hand, for the electric mages,


    “The problem is that it’s be too powerful. How about that.”


    Sergeant Lee Minjae sighed as he sat on thebat vehicle.


    These monsters.


    They’re not just regr fish for nothing.


    They’re swimming at incredible speed to approach us.


    By the time we noticed them, we were already in closebat.


    And that’s where the problem lies.


    ‘Friendly fire.’


    When your own attacks end up harming your allies.


    In games where the mage ss exists, there are usually area-of-effect attacks.


    But in those cases, the bnce is adjusted so that the AoE doesn’t harm your allies.


    However,


    “Some games that emphasize realism… intentionally allow friendly fire. That adds to the realism andplexity of the strategy.”


    “The game has be so realistic that the reality has be a game. Damn, that’s too realistic.”


    Sergeant Lee Minjae frowned as he spoke.


    Our world is frustratingly realistic.


    Since the mages’ AoE attacks can harm our own troops,


    ‘Up until now, the mages would just regte their firepower to avoid hitting allies.’


    But the problem now is that the battlefield is underwater.


    Water and electricity are opposites.


    The mages’ electrical attacks have be more than twice as powerful.


    But if they unleash that against the enemies swarming in the water,


    our own soldiers will get fried by the electricity.


    ‘The strongest mage on our side is Sergeant Lee Minjae, and he’s an electric mage.’


    Rendering his magic ineffective would be quite devastating.


    The only saving grace is that the monsters in this area aren’t particrly strong.


    Excluding the two elemental mages, the other soldiers were steadily gaining experience by taking down the iing monsters.


    Of course…


    It’s impossible to keep fighting the endless hordes of monsters.


    We had only avoidedbat up until then, in order to reach our destination.


    “Hey, I can see our destination!”


    Soon, we were able to reach the ce we had targeted.


    But then,


    “Wait, hold on.”


    “Something seems off over there too.”


    The soldiers looking in the distance said they spotted something.


    “…A battle. There’s a battle going on!”


    “In the distance, humans and fishmen are shing!”


    Seeing that, I let out a slight smile and muttered,


    “Well, you’ve found the right ce.”


    Right after leaving the building,


    So, where should we go now?


    The soldiers had asked me.


    As I unfolded the map, I answered,


    There.


    Huh?


    That looks like a regr building. What’s there?


    There are likely people residing in that building.


    Eh?


    I had confirmed that there were many surviving humans within the dungeon.


    In that case,


    ‘Wouldn’t it be worth meeting some of the others as well?’


    That was the suggestion I made, but


    Other people?


    …Do we have to?


    The reaction from my squad was rather ambiguous.


    This was both the strength and weakness of our unit.


    ‘The internal cohesion is incredibly strong, but they’re a bit wary of outsiders.’


    In the early days of the apocalypse, to calm the panicked soldiers, I had fed them meals with the [Chef’s Special Sauce].


    The effect was substantial.


    The soldiers who were on the verge of losing their minds have now be an excellent fighting force.


    However,


    Perhaps the effect of that meal wasrgely focused on “Let’s survive together by trusting our unit members!”


    ‘In contrast, they’ve be a bit too callous towards people outside the unit.’


    It’s not just being callous.


    They not only have a hard time trusting others, but they also rarely let go of their suspicions.


    It’s practically at the level of misanthropy.


    It’s a strength in the sense that they won’t be toyed with by external forces, but


    in a situation like this, there’s no need for that, is there?


    “You also kind of felt it, right? The abnormally high ratio of awakened individuals in this dungeon.”


    Yes, it is quite remarkable.


    At that moment, Sergeant Lee Minjae chimed in.


    From what I’ve heard, there don’t seem to be any zombies here.


    Just those monsters swimming in the water.